Phoenix Park: part III (The Triumph)

once again, 4:30am wake-up was a delightfully painful, horrifying experience.....3 or 4 different alarms, all strategically set to go off approximately 1 minute after the previous one in order to dissuade multiple snooze button presses, encouraged consciousness through a series of hellish squeaks and bleeps.....the highway out of Seoul was unusually traffic-free, helping our cause of getting onto the slopes while the snow was still fresh and untouched....that first run of the day, when you are one of the first people on the slopes, the sun is rising and the air is cold, is a coveted experience

i was introduced to several of Lee's friends, all of whom also traveled from Seoul to snowboard.....except for the fact that they are also incredibly lazy, and decided to sleep through the 4:30am wakeup in order to board at night

i threw down all my best Korean phrases back at the condo and stumbled my way through some conversation between myself and J.J......there were astounding displays of marginal understanding and partial comprehension.....we found success, however, in drinking etiquette and critiques of popular Korean male fashion and personalities.....which eventually spiralled into wanton verbal abuse and biased, prejudiced lambasting of the tv.....from which i fear it may never fully recover

the reality of teaching life sank in once again Sunday like the teeth of a parasitic vampire, albeit one who (as with my school) offers you money after that initial suffering.....there never seem to be enough hours in the day to complete or even begin all of the productive and useful things that are planned.....and at first i just sat down in my chair, then decided to regroup and come up with a newer, more exciting plan.....which was 4 hours ago and i am still in the chair